Pulaski County at COVID-19 warning level as of Sept. 14
Southern Seven Health Department reported that as of Sept. 14, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) risk level in Pulaski County had changed from blue to orange on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s County Level Risk Metrics Map.
An orange designation indicates warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the community.
Eight different indicators are used to determine a county’s designation.
A county is considered at the orange “Warning” level when at least two of the main indicators are going in the wrong direction.
Public health officials said that individuals, families and community groups should use this information to help inform their choices about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do.
To view the IDPH county-level risk map, visit the County Level COVID-19 Risk Metrics website.
Pulaski County showed an increase in two risk metrics from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, which led to an orange “Warning” designation for the county.
The two risk metrics which showed increases were new cases per 100,000 and test positivity percentage.
The new cases per 100,000 people rate is a unit of measure calculated as a rate to compare the number of cases in large and small counties.
The rate is calculated by dividing the county case count for seven days by county population times 100,000.
This describes the potential number of people who are currently ill and may be infectious in the county.
There were 348 new cases per 100,000 reported in Pulaski County, up from 293 the previous week.
A warning indicates the new case rate is greater than 50 cases per 100,000 people.
The test positivity percentage for Pulaski County was 21.3 percent, up from 8.1 percent the previous week.
A warning indicates that the test positivity rate was above 8 percent from the previous seven-day period.
“The fact that we saw such a drastic increase in the number of new cases in the county in such a short period of time is a wake-up call for our region,” said Shawnna Rhine, the community outreach coordinator for Southern Seven Health Department.
“We need everyone to wear a mask, watch their distance, wash their hands, and stay home when sick to slow the spread of this disease. Our most vulnerable populations depend on it.”
The health department continues to work with businesses and many other facets of the community to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.
These efforts have included increasing the accessibility of local COVID-19 testing in Union, Johnson and Pulaski counties, building the Southern Seven contact tracing workforce, coordinating with law enforcement officials and county state’s attorneys to address executive order violations at businesses, and assisting schools, childcare providers, long-term care facilities, and other industries with public health education and guidance.
Southern Seven Health Department reported the first case of COVID-19 in the region it serves on April 1.
As of Sept. 11, 913 residents had tested positive for the disease. Twenty-four deaths had been reported.
The latest information on COVID-19 cases in the region can be found online by visiting https://www.southern7.org/coronavirus-covid-19.html.
There you will find a link to Southern Seven Health Department’s Facebook page, which is updated Monday through Friday with community guidance and resources, and answers to frequently asked questions.
The health department also can be contacted by email at https://www.southern7.org/contact-us.html or by phone at 618-634-2297.